French by nationality but an Indian at heart after spending 18 years in India, Magali Couffon de Trevros has a deep rooted connection with both countries. She has been able to develop and grow her passion for photography and travels. The ultimate for her is the ability of finding beauty everywhere and keeping her eyes open for colors, shapes, lines, textures and forms. And the Capital will have a chance to see her creativity up close in the Tribal Lights. Also Read – ‘Playing Jojo was emotionally exhausting”Tribal Lights have been created and curated for the Alliance Francaise de Delhi the past few months. The images are of Orissa tribals. They simply show faces of Orissa. I traveled there about a year and a half ago… My imagination was wild as I imagined the adventure: tribes, naxalites, music, dances… I could not ask for more,’ explains Magali.She tries to use her camera as a creative tool not only to document or show what is in front of her but to enhance it with the help of light and sometimes with paint or sculptors. This exercise can be tricky and not always successful but what is important is to have fun. She experiences depth of the knowledge from these experiments.DETAILWhen: 19th April – 11th May (11am – 7pm)Where: Gallerie Romain Rolland, Alliance Française De Delhi, Lodi Estateread more

The run up to the 100th year of cinema showed us glimpes of cinematic excellence in a year long celebration. Weaving together the memories of one full century, from the first silent feature length film Raja Harishchandra till date, comes the centenary film festival by the ministry of information and broadcasting from 25 April.Celebrating a century: An audio visual voyage exhibition, will mark the beginning of the six day long event. It will be inaugrated by the Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Manish Tewari. The first day shall feature a unique screening of a silent film Also Read – ‘Playing Jojo was emotionally exhausting’Throw of Dice, coupled with live musical orchestra by maestro Nishat Khan. The itinenary for the next 5 days is something to relish upon for the cinema lovers. From tributes to extraordinary talents, screenings of classics and contemporary Indian films and the flavours of Indian cinema along with live interactions with eminent filmmakers, the festival will have a rollicking mix of it all. Satiated? There’s still more to it.A special display of artwork on the iconic filmmaker Satyajit Ray shall take you onto to a nostlagic trip down the memory lane. Besides, you may like to head to Cut-Uncut, a three day workshop showcasing the growth and evolution of censorship in Indian cinema, through insightful panel discussions. Panel discussions shall revolve around the themes: Depiction of women in Indian cinema and Celebrating 100 years of Indian cinema- The Road Ahead. The young and well known producers like Anurag Kashyap, Zoya Akhtar will be engaging with veterans like Sudhir Mishra and Dhritiman Chatterjee to bring up a lively discourse around the set themes. Also Read – Leslie doing new comedy special with NetflixCommemorating Indian cinema in all its glory, the festival would end on a high point with a play on the life and times of Dadasaheb Phalke by Aamir Raza Hussain. Film lovers in the capital will have more than one venue to experience the odyssey of Indian cinema. In its effort to reach out to maximum cinephiles, the festival is being celebrated not just at Siri Fort auditorium but other venues, including Jamia Millia Islamia University, Jawaharlal Nehru University and India Habitat Center, as well. A separate lineup of films shall be screened in the other venues. Lap up till it lasts, for this shall come only once in a 100 years.The festivities and fanfare shall come to a culmination in the National Film Award ceremony at Vigyan Bhavan on 3 May where the prestigious Dada Saheb Phalke Award will be conferred by the Hon’ble President of India.DETAILWhen: 25 to 30 April Where: Siri Fort Auditoriumread more

Kolkata: The Government Railway Police (GRP) of Sealdah division arrested five Chinese nationals from Kolkata railway station on Friday night and seized narcotics worth around Rs 40 crore from them. The state Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has taken up the investigation of the case.The sleuths from Sealdah GRP recovered 197 kg of amphetamine, a synthetic drug that provides a feeling of euphoria. “The raid was conducted on the basis of a credible source information. These people were carrying six bags, all stuffed with foil packages containing the tablets,” said Asesh Biswas, superintendent of railway police, Also Read – Speeding Jaguar crashes into Merc, 2 B’deshi bystanders killedSealdah GRP.The arrested people, agedbetween 30 and 37 years of age, have been identified as Wang Zio Dong, Zeu Gong Hue, Chang Heu, Lee Chand and Lue Bouk Seoung. The tablets were concealed by foils that were kept in different compartments inside the bags.The sleuths have found from their passports that they had visited India in 2017 and 2016 as well. “Drug trafficking appears to be their profession,” a senior GRP official said.Police are facing problems to communicate with them due to the language barrier. “However, prima facie it seems that the consignment was not headed for the city and was supposed to be transported to Delhi or Mumbai,” the official added. Also Read – Naihati: 10 councillors return to TMC from BJPAll the five were produced in Alipore court on Saturday and have been remanded to 14-day police custody. This narcotic is widely used as a party drug in parts of China and South East Asian nations.Meanwhile, the zonal unit of Narcotics Control Bureau on Friday night seized 35 LSD blots (total 0.4 gm) and 7 gm of MDMA (Ecstacy pills) from the possession of one Mubbasir Annan.According to NCB, Annan, who is a resident of Bhowanipore, was supplying these drugs with another associate of Kolkata (presently in Bengaluru for his college studies) to locals. The seized drugs were sourced from Bengaluru. The arrested person used to supply these drugs and cocaine to college youth in Bhwanipore and its adjacent areas. Cost of the seized drugs is about Rs1.5 lakh.read more

Over the years, IHGF has played a vital role in promoting India’s handcrafted products internationally. “A major highlight of this edition of the show is EPCH’s initiative to promote different craft clusters such as Narsapur, Bhuj, Bareilly, Lucknow and J&K”, informed Rakesh Kumar, Executive Director of EPCH.The handmade crochet lace industry of Narsapur in Andhra Pradesh is famous worldwide for its over 300 intricate designs made by the lace makers of this region. A number of Narsapur based exporters are engaged in production of lace products and exporting the same to USA. Also Read – ‘Playing Jojo was emotionally exhausting’Over 200 small and tiny exporters and craftsperson, those who are yet to become exporters, have been invited to display their products in theme pavilion set up on lace and crocheted goods and garden and garden furniture and many other special areas at IHGF-Delhi Fair. They are displaying crocheted tops, cushion covers, bags, ponchos, skirts, frocks, table mats, lace buttons and sleeves, borders and chunky decorative balls, curtains made from mix of fabric and lace, throws, bed sheets etc. Also Read – Leslie doing new comedy special with NetflixThe products on display in this pavilion are getting lot of attention of the visiting buyers.“The artisans from mega clusters of Lucknow, Bareilly, Bhuj and J&K are displaying products of Chikankari, zari and zardozi from Lucknow, jewellery, cane and bamboo and wood carving from Bareilly, Kashmiri wood carving, papermachie and hand embroidered shawls and stoles, Azrakh painting, bell metal art and leather crafts from J&K”, Kumar elaborated further. Will Fraser and Cole Brown from Velocity Consultancy USA apprised participants about business mentality of the Americans, their needs and expectations.Two more knowledge provider seminars on export opportunities in Latin America through warehousing facility Uruguay and how to safeguard your business from International frauds have been organised today.Cultural programmes being organised by EPCH during IHGF-Delhi Fair are being appreciated and are acting as welcome breaks for buyers engaged in hectic business activity.IHGF Delhi fair staged fashion shows on third day. The products displayed by them were mostly fashion jewellery and accessories.H.E. Maria Teresita C Daza, Ambassador of Philippines in India visited IHGF-Delhi Fair 2015 on third day and got impressed with exquisite designs, styles and colours of Indian products.“Over 4500 overseas buyers have been registered by the 3rd day of the fair”, informed Rakesh Kumar who is also Chairman of IEML.Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts (EPCH), which is the nodal agency for promotion and development of handicrafts, has been organising the Indian Handicrafts and Gifts Fair for the last 21 years. IHGF-Delhi Fair Autumn 2015 is expected to generate huge number of enquiries and orders for the Indian handicrafts sector.read more

Exercising for at least 150 minutes every week may improve mobility and quality of life in people with Parkinson’s disease, a new study claims.Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a progressive condition that often results in mobility impairments and can lead to decreased health-related quality of life (HRQL) and death.There is evidence that physical activity can delay decline in PD patients.Researchers determined that that people who exercised regularly had significantly slower declines in HRQL and mobility over a two-year period. Also Read – Add new books to your shelf”We found that people with Parkinson’s disease who maintained exercise 150 minutes per week had a smaller decline in quality of life and mobility over two years compared to people who did not exercise or exercised less,” said lead investigator Miriam R Rafferty, from Northwestern University in the US.”The smaller decline was significant for people who started the study as regular exercisers, as well as for people who started to exercise 150 minutes per week after their first study-related visit,” said Rafferty. Also Read – Over 2 hours screen time daily will make your kids impulsiveIn the study, more than 3,400 participants provided data over two years, with infromation collected during at least three clinic visits.Although this study did not determine which type of exercise is best, it suggests that any type of exercise done with a “dose” of at least 150 minutes per week is better than not exercising.”People with PD should feel empowered to find the type of exercise they enjoy, even those with more advanced symptoms,” said Rafferty.The study was published in the Journal of Parkinson’s Disease.read more

Failing to sleep less than six hours may nearly double the risk of death in people with metabolic syndrome – a combination of diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity, researchers have warned. A study found that people with metabolic syndrome who slept for more than six hours were about 1.49 times more likely to die of stroke. Conversely, those who slept less than six hours were about 2.1 times more likely to die of heart disease or stroke. For those who got more sleep, the risk of death was more modest, the researchers said. The short sleepers with metabolic syndrome were also 1.99 times more likely to die from any cause compared to those without metabolic syndrome. “If you have several heart disease risk factors, taking care of your sleep and consulting with a clinician if you have insufficient sleep is important if you want to lower your risk of death from heart disease or stroke,” said lead author Julio Fernandez-Mendoza, Assistant Professor at the University of Pennsylvania. For the study, published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, the team selected 1,344 adults (average age 49 years, 42 per cent male) who agreed to spend one night in a sleep laboratory. The results showed that 39.2 per cent of the participants had at least three of the risk factors — body mass index (BMI) higher than 30 and elevated total cholesterol, blood pressure, fasting blood sugar and triglyceride levels. During an average follow-up of 16.6 years, 22 per cent of the participants died. “Future clinical trials are needed to determine whether lengthening sleep, in combination with lowering blood pressure and glucose, improves the prognosis of people with the metabolic syndrome,” Fernandez-Mendoza said.read more

Kolkata: Seven accused persons in a gang-rape case have been convicted and sentenced to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment by the Bankura District Court. The incident took place about one year ago. Another accused, who is a minor, is undergoing trial in the juvenile court. According to a source, on February 1, 2017, on the day of Saraswati Puja, a Class-XII student went out with his friend on a scooter. When they were coming back home, through Gorabazar area, some goons blocked their way and forced the victim’s friend to stop his scooter. The accused persons allegedly tied the youth to a tree and allegedly gang-raped the girl. Later, they fled from the spot. The victim’s friend informed her family members.read more

Ever since the PSY’s hit number ‘Gangnam Style’ went viral, Indian music lovers have been keeping track of the latest Korean music and dance forms. This has resulted in its widespread popularity – K-pop being one of the most accepted ones. People across the country not only listen to K-pop music but also prove their passion towards this genre.Taking this craze for Korean music into consideration, LG K-pop India contest 2019 was organised where over 1952 teams participated. The finale of the same was held in the Capital recently. Also Read – Add new books to your shelfAmongst the participating artists from across the country, ‘Lokalz Crew’ from Delhi and ‘Harini Nittala’ from Hyderabad bagged the winning title, and are all set to compete at the international stage – ‘Changwon K-pop World Festival 2019’ later this year. The contest, which attracted a large number of audience from all over India, also saw spectacular live performances by the popular band ‘IN2IT’ along with the talented solo artist Alexa. The band of seven boys, which debuted in 2017, had come to India earlier in April this year, and danced to the rhythm of peppy Bollywood music numbers. Also Read – Over 2 hours screen time daily will make your kids impulsiveMillennium Post interacted with the international celebrity artists, and here are few excerpts: How they started their career in K-pop IN2IT: We all met in 2016 at a Korean show, where all of us were competing against each other. But to our surprise, by the end of the show, we became a group. ALEXA: I started dancing when I was only two, and later participated in a competition at the age of 13. It was then that I realised my passion and love for dancing. And since then, I have been performing in different stage shows. How are Bollywood and K-pop interlinked IN2IT: We feel Bollywood songs are very energetic and watching Bollywood music videos is totally different from performing on it. It requires a lot of energy. Recently, we watched the song ‘Ankh Marey’ from Simmba movie and we would love to try our hands on it too. Alexa: It’s good to be back again in India. I always find Bollywood very interesting, colourful and bright, and that’s the reason I feel connected to it. Talking about K-pop as a dance form, IN2IT said that the most impressive feature about K-pop is that artists are regarded as an idol in this culture. Also, K-pop, which was only followed by youngsters, now is also getting popular amongst the elders. “Initially, K-pop was more influenced by the music industry of Japan or America, but over the years, Koreans added more of their fashion and efforts to it.” Speaking about the future of K-pop in India, IN2IT said, “There will be more Indian K-pop artists performing across the world.” “In near future, relations between India and Korea will also improve thereby providing more opportunities to us,” they added.read more